Package Solutions

Optical Windows | Lids and Covers

Every package requires a cover to hermetically enclose all of your critical micro-electronics. AMETEK Electronic Components and Packaging offers many different lids options to suit you specific requirements.

The most common lids are photo-etched stepped lids. These are flat lids, usually .010”-.015” thick with a photo-etched racetrack between .005”-.008” thick which runs the perimeter of the lid. These lids are designed to be seam welded into place but can also be attached using low temperature soldering or brazing. The tooling is relatively inexpensive and there are many open tools currently available for most package sizes.

The flat lid is essentially a stamped or etched flat plate designed to match the outline dimensions of the package it’s intended to cover. This configuration is similar to the stepped lid but without the etched racetrack.

The domed cover is another option used as a mating package cover. Domed covers are stamped cup shaped lids usually drawn from .010” thick material. They are sometimes designed to accommodate seam sealing with a stamped in weld projection. Other designs are formed with a flange area only. The benefit of using a domed cover is increased package height for a fraction of the costs of incorporating height into the package. Domed covers are primarily used on Platform Packaging or Transistor Outline designs.

AMETEK has also machined many custom lid solutions utilizing various materials from Kovar to Aluminum Silicon (AlSi). Many customers prefer Laser Welding in lieu of Seam Sealing. When utilizing Laser Welding as the attachment method, the lid interface surface is usually free from plating. To achieve this we either sand this surface or post plate machine.

Optical windows are also another common lid option. Many of our customers require optically clear, AR coated, or Sapphire windows which we hermetically solder to the lid configuration options listed above. These windows are used to see the internal electronics after lid seal, or as a means of letting in energies like heat and light both into and out of the hermetic enclosures. These types of windows are used in a variety of configurations from basic TO style devices to more precision devices such as infrared night and thermal vision systems and Digital Light Projectors (DLP).

There are many different ways to cover your package. Over our many years of supplying lid solutions we’ve had to customize lids to incorporate Windows, Exhaust tubes, etc. This is where we feel AMETEK excels! Please allow us to quote a lid solution for your needs.